Is a Disney cruise worth $5-$6 grand?

[Silly Little Pixie]

I see you have a 17 year old. Just FYI- once they turn 18 on DCL they are not allowed in the teen club at all. So if joining in the teen club is important, do it before her 18th birthday.

I have sailed on DCL 9x and never paid more than $4000- and that was for an 8 night Christmas cruise for the 4 of us! We think it's worth every penny. That said, I wouldn't pay $5K for a 3 night cruise. There are good deals to be had if you can be patient. If you seriously are thinking of a DCL cruise, talk to a knowledgeable DCL specialist TA. The IGT/OGT/VGT rates are really good, definitely talk to a TA who can jump on that for you when they are released. I know DU sponsors these boards, but you want a more personalized TA who can watch rates for your desired dates and then contact you.

Good luck!

 

[BrianD]

That is just a ton of cash for a very short cruise. If you really want to try Disney, as others have said look for one of the guaranteed restricted rates for the summer. Yes, they are non-refundable, and non-changeable, but if you buy independent trip insurance that includes a "cancel for any reason" option, then at worst if you had to cancel, you would only be out several hundred dollars.

 

[NancyIL]

I just happened to be pricing WDW trips tonight, so just for fun I checked prices for one adult, one older child and one under nine in a deluxe resort with four day park hoppers and deluxe dining plan four four nights in July. It came to about $3000, depending on the resort. So six people in two rooms would be about the same cost as the four day cruise. Of course, there's many more ways to save money at WDW than on the cruise, but I thought it was an interesting comparison.

That is a fair comparison ONLY if one would normally stay at a deluxe resort and get the deluxe dining plan at WDW. Also, the OP has priced the least expensive cabin options on DCL, so you'd have to compare deluxe cabins with a deluxe resort. The fact that you can increase the expenditures at WDW to match what one spends on a Disney cruise is irrelevant.

 

[wmharley]

I REALLY want to take my family on a cruise. After looking around a bit, I think that Disney is about the only offering for the huge age difference in my kids. My teenage girls love all things Disney so I know they would be thrilled to go on a Disney cruise. And my boys are completely into the characters, shows,etc. so I know they would have a great time as well.

The hard part is the HUGE price tag for us to take a cruise! Because we're a family of 6, we need to get 2 rooms. And I can't pull my girls out of school, so we have to go during more expensive times.

I REALLY want to do this...but I'm having a hard time justifying the fact that this will cost us over $1,000 a day! And that's before tips, excursions, souveniers,etc.

In your opinion...do you feel it's worth $1,000 a day? Or would you vacation elsewhere? We're AP holders and go to WDW 3-4 times a year. So I'm looking for something different.

TIA for any insight you can give me!

I personally wouldn't do the cruise for that price. I'd rather stay at an all inclusive in the caribbean for less.

I'd suggest as others, to look into other cruise lines. Yes its disney, but after all is said and done, its a cruise and you will enjoy yourselves either way. What about all the families that cruise non-DCL ships? They don't have fun?

You may also want to look at cruises from San juan. There are plenty of low cost airlines that go there, and i personally anjoy the cruises from San juan more than Miami.

You stated June. from San Juan...

Taken from Cruises Only dot com (which I've used)
Carnival
June 9-16th
Ports of Call:
Departs From San Juan, Puerto Rico visiting Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas >> Bridgetown, Barbados >> Castries, St. Lucia >> Basseterre, St. Kitts >> Philipsburg, St. Maarten

Interior class 4C
Cabin 1 (2 adults, 2 youngest)
$2,802.72

Cabin 2 (1 adult, the older underage kid)
$1,626.36


That's $4428 for 1 week to some nice locations. If its $5-6K for a 3-4night Disney, i'd rather go to SJ and do the weeklong.

Cannot find airfare yet, but I know I've gotten jetblue from Orlando for under $200pp. Airtran was bought by SWA so I'd think by next yr, the SWA luggage policy will be in effect there.

I'd rather do jetblue.

 

[OrcaPotter]

My parents and I had wanted to try a DCL cruise for years. We had gone on 2 previous cruises on other lines over the last 8 years, so cost is something that keeps us landlocked more than we would like. We've only done 7 night trips prior to DCL, so we were reluctant to do anything shorter because it'd be too short! We were shocked at the prices DCL was charging for the Magic considering the new ships, but we're really curious about the Dream. Plus, we had done both caribbean itineraries before. We live 50 minutes away from the port, so travel costs were very minimal. I was stoked when we got a great deal on a VGT for a January 4-night ... $1800 for 3 adults. My mom has to have a verandah, so this was our only chance.

Yes , it was way too short and not nearly as relaxing as we're used to on a longer trip ...yes, it was more expensive than the same trip on a cheaper cruise line ... But it fit for my family: we don't gamble, we're not very active, we LOVE Disney, and we don't have sophisticated palates. The service was the best we've had on both our previous trips put together. That alone made the trip so much more memorable than our previous cruises, and we had fantastic times on them!

My advice if you really want to try DCL (and you should) is to wait as long as you can for the GTY rates and be a little flexible with your dates. Anything shorter than a 4 night wouldn't be worth it. But we also enjoyed RCCL a lot, so if you find a good price on a 7 night for when you want to go? Try them and pencil in a few days at the parks for your Disney fix.

 

[Tarabra]

Where have you gotten the price? I know sometimes on the DCL page it is higher than you can get at the DU page. I'm glad to see you will be getting an inside room. We've had an inside room on all 10 cruises and as much as I would absolutely love a verandah room, we don't spend that much time in the room and what I don't know won't hurt me! It is also how we've managed so many cruises. I know you also have a limited window, but we've gone the absolute last week before school in Aug. which was much cheaper. We usually go in early May which also has good rates and fabulous weather. As far as excursions, once again, have never taken any. You can rent a car or take a taxi cheaper than some of the excursions. Tablemates did an excursion to one of the beaches for $200 for a family of 4. They decided to stay longer, so they took a cab back and it was only $20 bucks or so. We stayed at the public beach, got two chairs and umbrella, for $10!! The kids had a ball. I do feel your pain on the price as even just one room is expensive, but we feel the price is absolutely worth it.

 

[Justacruiser]

I am willing to pay $200 a day for each member of the party. That said, with a party of 6 I would pay about $1200 a day for Dsiney Cruise. There are actually dates in June right now that gave a good guarantee rate available. If you are flexible you can get some good pricing. But, you are also looking for rooms close to each other. If you are Disney focuses, save a little longer if you need to.

 

[labdogs42]

I was just pricing the cruises and they price out quite closely to stays at WDW with the Dining plan, Deluxe Resort, and park Hopper tickets. Also, prices are much better on the cruises in late August. That's the time frame I'm checking out for my 40th birthday celebration cruise in 2013!

 

[JKeller]

I think so!

 

[PrincessTrisha]

I would have difficulty paying $6000 for a 7 night cruise for 6 people, let alone a 4 night cruise.

My advice is to look at other cruise lines and check with a TA. Some lines offer specials (I think RCI / Celebrity offer Tuesday specials and I think Carnival is either Tuesday or Wednesday) and for some lines, TA's can offer discounts or on board credit which can overall bring down the price of the cruise / extras.

I have to admit, paying $2100 (includes the 10% off) for the 4 night cruise at the end of this month on the Magic for the 3 of us is now killing me since I found a Celebrity cruise for the same time for around $900 (oceanview instead of balcony though).

 

[wmharley]

I would have difficulty paying $6000 for a 7 night cruise for 6 people, let alone a 4 night cruise.

My advice is to look at other cruise lines and check with a TA. Some lines offer specials (I think RCI / Celebrity offer Tuesday specials and I think Carnival is either Tuesday or Wednesday) and for some lines, TA's can offer discounts or on board credit which can overall bring down the price of the cruise / extras.

I have to admit, paying $2100 (includes the 10% off) for the 4 night cruise at the end of this month on the Magic for the 3 of us is now killing me since I found a Celebrity cruise for the same time for around $900 (oceanview instead of balcony though).

No lie.. $6000 is out of my range, but if I had that to spend, I'd rather do a full 7 day from San Juan as that includes airfare.

I looked at Carnival and they have a trip on the same days to the same spots (their own island obviously instead of CC) for us four with oceanview at $1200 after taxes.

I told my wife that next cruise, we will et the days aside (her bidding days for work is the issue) and then do a last minute cruise as there are plenty. We homeschool so dates aren't a problem.

If we don't get a cruise, then I get my relative to give us their points at a time share to use.

DCL is unique in pricing as they don't do too much discounting last minutes.

But I feel ya Trish... $2000+ vs $1000ish is a nice chunk.

 

[Lisa Lisa]

I was just checking rates for this June, and DCL is offering a VGT rate for the week of 6/16 on the Fantasy. There are only three of us, but the rate was a little over $4000 for a 7-day Caribbean. Not too shabby!

 

[TLSnell1981]

Worth and/or value...really depends on WHAT you expect and IF you can afford it. Unfortunately, anything Disney is ridiculously expensive. If, you WANT DCL and can afford it... Just do it and forget about the price tag.

 

[lazydazy8]

We are doing our first cruise in November. We booked the Dream, 4 day cruise with a stop at Nassau and one stop at Castaway. There are four of us (DH, DD13, DS11). Our cruise is around $2,500... no verandah, but we have a large porthole window. I'm sure you guys are all referring to more expensive times to cruise and probably go for the verandah, but for $2,500, how can we go wrong!??

The deals are out there. We booked our cruise the day the rates were released. I'm sure it is more than that now. (Not sure if it made a difference, but we booked through an agent rather than directly through Disney. I know more than the average mouse when it comes to the in's and out's of WDW, but the DCL is completely foreign to me-- cruises in general, actually! I felt more comfortable going though a certified Disney agent in this case!)

If it is your dream to try the DCL (as it was for me), plan far out, find out the exact date you can book, and I totally recommend you use an agent! (PM me if you'd like the name and contact info of mine- I'm thrilled with our rate and she been fantastic with all my questions!!!)

 

[Chelley00]

Like you, we are a family of 6 with a wide age range in kids.

We cruised this summer on RCL, and spent less than $5,000 for a 9 night cruise in a suite. Disney was $5,000 for a 4 night cruise for 2 balcony rooms. To me, it was a no brainer. I wasn't about to pay the same price for half the time. We had a great time on RCL. The teens had tons to do, the little kids loved the kids clubs, and there were so many activities on board (rock climbing, ice skating etc) that we were never bored. We had great service and the food was just fine. The only thing that was a bust was the production shows and I'm sure DCL's are fantastic, but that's not worth the extra money to us.

 

[KSDisneyDad]

I would have difficulty paying $6000 for a 7 night cruise for 6 people, let alone a 4 night cruise.

My advice is to look at other cruise lines and check with a TA. Some lines offer specials (I think RCI / Celebrity offer Tuesday specials and I think Carnival is either Tuesday or Wednesday) and for some lines, TA's can offer discounts or on board credit which can overall bring down the price of the cruise / extras.

I have to admit, paying $2100 (includes the 10% off) for the 4 night cruise at the end of this month on the Magic for the 3 of us is now killing me since I found a Celebrity cruise for the same time for around $900 (oceanview instead of balcony though).

If you are paying $2,100 for 4-nights for 3 people, that is $175 per person per night. If you do $6,000 for 7-nights for 6 people that is $143 per person per night. Technically, the $6,000 is less expensive per person per night. So why is $2,100 okay, but $6,000 absolutely no way. Is it simply the absolute dollars?

With 6 people, most land vacations are expensive as it is generally two rooms at a minimum, plus 6 airline tickets, more ground transportation, more food, etc., etc. A cruise is no different.

Plus, with more people, it is harder to be flexible with timing and taking advantage of last minute discounts such as the Celebrity cruise for $900 or even a Disney IGT, OGT or VGT especially if you want your rooms to be together. We want specific rooms when we cruise as we don't want to be on a different side, floor or part of the ship as our kids. Thus, we have to either go with an expensive Cat 4 or higher or two rooms. If there were 3 of us, it would be so much easier to take advantage of the discounts.

All of that said, I would have a hard time at $6,000 for a 4-night cruise even for 6 people. But if it is the only cruise you can do because you can't sail in the off season (i.e. late April/early May, September through early December, January/February) due to school commitments and you want Disney, then I would probably do it once. What is a value to one person is outrageous to another.

Worth and/or value...really depends on WHAT you expect and IF you can afford it. Unfortunately, anything Disney is ridiculously expensive. If, you WANT DCL and can afford it... Just do it and forget about the price tag.

I agree! You really can't rationalize the cost of any vacation as they are luxuries. That said, I wouldn't trade our vacation memories for anything!

 

[KSDisneyDad]

Like you, we are a family of 6 with a wide age range in kids.

We cruised this summer on RCL, and spent less than $5,000 for a 9 night cruise in a suite. Disney was $5,000 for a 4 night cruise for 2 balcony rooms. To me, it was a no brainer. I wasn't about to pay the same price for half the time. We had a great time on RCL. The teens had tons to do, the little kids loved the kids clubs, and there were so many activities on board (rock climbing, ice skating etc) that we were never bored. We had great service and the food was just fine. The only thing that was a bust was the production shows and I'm sure DCL's are fantastic, but that's not worth the extra money to us.

We are 5 and are cruising Disney for 7-nights in two rooms for about $5,000 on the Fantasy. Granted, it's not as cheap as 9 nights in a suite. The RCCL Oasis for the same itinerary was about $1,500 more and even the Carnival Dream and RCCL FOS were about $400 more. We were looking for a particular itinerary and time on a newer ship and Disney was the least expensive comparing apples to apples for similar rooms.

Although the FOS and Carnival Dream are often less than Disney (but not always a lot less) when I compare our cruises, the Oasis and Allure have always seemed to be consistently higher in cost for the times we want to cruise. YMMV

 

[PrincessTrisha]

If you are paying $2,100 for 4-nights for 3 people, that is $175 per person per night. If you do $6,000 for 7-nights for 6 people that is $143 per person per night. Technically, the $6,000 is less expensive per person per night. So why is $2,100 okay, but $6,000 absolutely no way. Is it simply the absolute dollars?

My parents talked me into this 4 night cruise. As I said, it's killing me to pay this much when I can find so many better deals out there.

For me, I would have gone with something less expensive per night. I have talked them into trying Carnival in October ($1800 for 7 nights so it's only about $85 per person per day - and we have a Spa cabin). I'm hoping they love that cruise line as much as I do so that I can stop choking everytime I pay the vacation bill.

 

[Jack Rabbit Run]

Why not take the kids out of school? Especially if they're young or if they get good grades. We plan our vacations according to whats best for OUR pocket. So we wanted to go on our first Disney cruise and the cheapest dates just happened to land on the 8th of September. Sorry teacher we're outta here!! You only live once!!!

 

[crafty91]

Did anyone else have parents that said "you get what you pay for?" These "low price" hooks are just to get you on board after that you'll pay extra for everything else worth doing. I have not been on Carnival but I know that don't feel near as comfortable going on the party ship and giving my kids as much freedom as they have on DCL. I'm not bashing any other cruise line I'm just saying they have their niche. Hey I was a poor college kid once and I couldn't afford DCL but I could afford Carnival, just sayin.....